Depeche Mode’s Peter Gordeno reveals his stadium-filling Roland rig

With just hours to go until showtime at Prague’s Eden Arena, Peter Gordeno of Depeche Mode slipped an Access All Areas pass around Roland’s neck and invited us to soundcheck. Armed with tunes that span from 1989’s Personal Jesus to this year’s Where’s The Revolution, the Essex trio are the dark lords of British synth-pop – so it’s no surprise that their live rig is a treasure-trove of Roland gear. “We’re a very electronic band,” explains Peter in this behind-the-scenes video interview, “and sometimes we even have three keyboard players playing.” Now, you’ll get right into the heart…

Synth Bass for Bass Players – PART 1

INCREASE YOUR VERSATILITY AND GET MORE GIGS In today’s music world, the vast influence of EDM and other electronic styles has crept into the fabric of nearly every popular genre. The core of EDM is a driving rhythm groove, with the low end held down by synthesizer bass. To cover this essential sound,…

Did you know a JD-Xi synth can do this?

Combining analog and digital synthesis in a compact and user-friendly design, the Roland JD-Xi is ideal for live tweaking, recording and using on-the-go. With its warm, fat, true analog bass and lead tones, as well as polyphonic PCM essentials such as pads, strings, brass and more, the JD-Xi is a versatile and mighty sounding instrument….

Roland Icon Series: The JUNO-106 Synthesizer

The Roland Icon Series is a collection of articles looking back at the most popular and recognised Roland instruments. In over four decades, Roland has designed many world-first instruments like the first touch-sensitive keyboard and first guitar synthesizer. Previous articles in the Roland Icon Series revisited the classic Roland Jupiter-8, the SH-101, the MRS-2 ProMars,…

Should you get the Roland TR-09 or the TR-8?

With the number of instruments now available which celebrate Roland’s strong history of drum machines, you could be excused for thinking that these products all do the same thing. However, while all contain the same genre-defining sounds of classic Roland drum machines, there are a huge range of differences in purpose and functionality between the…

Should you get a Roland TB-03 or the TB-3?

With the recent release of the Roland Boutique TB-03 bassline sequencer, you might wonder what’s happening with the AIRA TB-3. Both are based on the legendary, “acid sound” defining Roland TB-303, right? Right. However, while the same iconic machine inspired both the TB-03 Boutique and the AIRA TB-3, there are quite a few differences in…

The Best Roland USB Audio Interface for Your Recording Needs

From basic 2-in/2-out boxes to professional multi-I/O recording powerhouses, there’s at least one model in Roland’s eight-strong fleet of USB audio interfaces for Mac, PC and iPad to suit every music producer and engineer, no matter what their experience level or budget. In this guide, we’ll take you through the full range, from bottom to…

Top 15 Musical Gifts To Spark Creativity This Christmas

With Christmas fast approaching, you may be looking for inspiration for the music lover in your life: if so, why not give them more of what they love? Luckily, we’ve created a top 15 gift list to spark their musical creativity. With musical must-haves and stocking fillers ranging from just £25 right up to a shiny…

VS PREAMPS Truly Capture Your Performance

By Roland US When choosing an audio interface, preamps are often overlooked despite the significant role they play in determining what a recording actually sounds like. A well-spec’d audio interface with bad preamps will result in a bad recording. Why? Because preamps are the ears of your DAW. How well a preamp performs determines the…

Five tips on choosing an audio interface

If you’ve outgrown your audio interface and want to replace it with something more flexible, you’ll need to look beyond the number of inputs and outputs on offer. To help you choose the best audio interface for your needs, we’ve put together a list of five things to consider. 1: You’ll need more than eight…

What is gigging insurance?

Do you worry about your instruments when you play a gig? Insurance is the best way to make sure your gear is safe while you’re out and about. For all musicians, getting out and gigging is a key part of the experience. Whether you play for pay or just for fun – performing your songs…